'Musical Landscapes' and a Winter Solstice Celebration on December 20 close the 2009 program year as Harmony Hall closes for the winter season
Few places are as magnificent as the Ramapo Highlands; particularly blanketed in the icy shrouds of winter. Without a doubt, winter is a special time in this dramatic region of gentle mountains, still lakes and rolling rivers. Harmony Hall curator, Geoff Welch, captured that elegance and splendor in photographs and original musical compositions that uncovered winter's landscapes in a manner that was truly unique - even spiritual. What a fitting way to end an exciting year of new programming and restoration progress.
With winter's cold upon us, Harmony Hall will be closed for public programming during the winter months while we work on restoration projects and planning. Our programming, however, will continue as we present a series of "history teas" at the Sloatsburg and Suffern libraries. If you missed curator Geoff Welch's inpiring program "The Ramapo Highlands and the Artists of the Hudson Valley School", you will have a second chance! Geoff will also be repeating his successful program titled "The Winter of 1780: Tragedy in the Ramapo Pass," where you will learn more about the historic role that the Ramapo Pass played during the American revolution. Watch here for the schedule of events as we nail down dates and times with our local libraries!
New York State's Department of Parks, Recreation & Historical Preservation APPROVES plans that pave the way to begin significant restoration work this spring!!!
We are delighted to report that the plans and drawings for the first major restoration project at Harmony Hall have been approved by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation. The project will include (1) restoration of the deteriorating main mansion roof with a zinc reproduction that will include reconstruction of the 1848 cupola that was destroyed by fire 40 years ago; (2) restoration of the front verandah, including the lower level areaway directly below the verandah and reconstruction of the western estate office wall which was breached in the 1960s to expand the office on to the verandah (including reinstalltion of the original window, which were preserved in the basement); and (3) restoration of the double entry doors into the mansion, including the transom and door moldings. The project will be funded under a matching grant that was awarded to the Town of Ramapo in 2007 by the OPRHP. A new grant application was filed in September 2009 that would restore the rear verandah and all four levels of the mansion's grand staircase if it is selected for an award by the OPRHP.
Harmony Hall welcomed hundreds again this year to our Victorian Holiday Celebration on December 6th
We decked the halls again this year to welcome more than 300 visitors to the house for our Fourth Annual Victorian Holiday event. This year, the house teemed with fresh fruit and evergreens as it would during the time of Jacob Sloat. This was a very special year because it marks the last Victorian Holiday that will take place prior to the launch of significant restoration activities this year. Visitors to the house made their own contribution to that effort, purchasing tickets to win our restoration raffle and by signing up to sponsor the refinishing of one of the mansion's magnificent 1848 floor boards. This year was also special as members of Friends of Harmony Hall and supporters throughout the Village of Sloatsburg generously donated more than $700 to benefit the clients of the Sloatsburg Food Pantry. This year's event was spearheaded by member Edith Knoblick, who led the event committee and is the author of this year's food pantry benefit, which involved the production of 30 gorgeous fruit baskets that will be distributed to the community's most needy neighbors. Congratulations to the committee, to our members and friends who participated in the food pantry benefit, and to the regional community, who came out in support of the programs and restoration of Harmony Hall.
Play a Role in Preserving Our Past by Helping to Refinish Harmony Hall's Magnificent 1848 Floors!
Nearly 160 years after Jacob Sloat completed construction of the mansion that he designed and named, the Friends of Harmony Hall ~ Jacob Sloat House have embarked upon a campaign to raise the funds required to restore the ground floor rooms to their former glory. Those rooms include a grand entrance hallway and staircase, a magnificent double parlor, a formal dining room, a former library, a summer kitchen and the original estate office.
After spending three long years working to uncover hidden fireplaces, windows and staircases that had been miraculously entombed by former owners behind plasterboard walls during the century that the house served as an inn, a restaurant and an adult care facility, the Friends worked with the Town of Ramapo to rip up decades of modern flooring to uncover the original, wide oak floorboards that once dominated the mansion’s interiors. The somewhat fragile condition of those floorboards in the high-traffic areas of the central hallway, double parlor and dining room prompted the Friends to designate the restoration of the floors in those rooms as the group’s initial interior restoration target. Funds that are raised will be used to strip off remaining floor adhesives and to sand down the floorboards in order to prepare them to receive a historically-appropriate finish. The finishes will be provided by our project partner Sherwin Williams, who has also agreed to provide wall finishes when repairs have been completed.
Friends of Harmony Hall ~ Jacob Sloat House are looking for individuals, businesses, foundations and corporations that share our vision for the preservation and restoration of this unique historical resource. The current fundraising campaign invites you in on the “ground floor” by asking you to be a vital part of our floor restoration campaign. Contributors are welcome to sponsor a floorboard for as little as $25 or to become a full, half or quarter sponsor of an individual room for as little as a $250 contribution. Contributors to our $25 “Sponsor a Floorboard” campaign will receive invitations to attend our Members Only Lecture Series that introduces audiences to a wide range of topics and experts about the unique history and resources of the Ramapo Pass and Highlands. They will also receive our quarterly newsletter and invitations to our many public programs. Contributors who elect to become a part of our “Adopt a Room” campaign will receive two tickets to our Annual Patrons Gala in addition to invitations to all Members Only Lecture Series events. They will also receive a complimentary individual or family membership to Friends of Harmony Hall ~ Jacob Sloat House, bringing them closer to the people and plans that will define the restoration effort.
For more information about how you can become part of this important restoration initiative, please contact Suzanne Daycock at 845.504.5097 or by E-mail at sdaycock@friendsofharmonyhall.org. All contributions are 100% tax-deductible.
Few places are as magnificent as the Ramapo Highlands; particularly blanketed in the icy shrouds of winter. Without a doubt, winter is a special time in this dramatic region of gentle mountains, still lakes and rolling rivers. Harmony Hall curator, Geoff Welch, captured that elegance and splendor in photographs and original musical compositions that uncovered winter's landscapes in a manner that was truly unique - even spiritual. What a fitting way to end an exciting year of new programming and restoration progress.
We are delighted to report that the plans and drawings for the first major restoration project at Harmony Hall have been approved by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation. The project will include (1) restoration of the deteriorating main mansion roof with a zinc reproduction that will include reconstruction of the 1848 cupola that was destroyed by fire 40 years ago; (2) restoration of the front verandah, including the lower level areaway directly below the verandah and reconstruction of the western estate office wall which was breached in the 1960s to expand the office on to the verandah (including reinstalltion of the original window, which were preserved in the basement); and (3) restoration of the double entry doors into the mansion, including the transom and door moldings. The project will be funded under a matching grant that was awarded to the Town of Ramapo in 2007 by the OPRHP. A new grant application was filed in September 2009 that would restore the rear verandah and all four levels of the mansion's grand staircase if it is selected for an award by the OPRHP.
We decked the halls again this year to welcome more than 300 visitors to the house for our Fourth Annual Victorian Holiday event. This year, the house teemed with fresh fruit and evergreens as it would during the time of Jacob Sloat. This was a very special year because it marks the last Victorian Holiday that will take place prior to the launch of significant restoration activities this year. Visitors to the house made their own contribution to that effort, purchasing tickets to win our restoration raffle and by signing up to sponsor the refinishing of one of the mansion's magnificent 1848 floor boards. This year was also special as members of Friends of Harmony Hall and supporters throughout the Village of Sloatsburg generously donated more than $700 to benefit the clients of the Sloatsburg Food Pantry. This year's event was spearheaded by member Edith Knoblick, who led the event committee and is the author of this year's food pantry benefit, which involved the production of 30 gorgeous fruit baskets that will be distributed to the community's most needy neighbors. Congratulations to the committee, to our members and friends who participated in the food pantry benefit, and to the regional community, who came out in support of the programs and restoration of Harmony Hall.
After spending three long years working to uncover hidden fireplaces, windows and staircases that had been miraculously entombed by former owners behind plasterboard walls during the century that the house served as an inn, a restaurant and an adult care facility, the Friends worked with the Town of Ramapo to rip up decades of modern flooring to uncover the original, wide oak floorboards that once dominated the mansion’s interiors. The somewhat fragile condition of those floorboards in the high-traffic areas of the central hallway, double parlor and dining room prompted the Friends to designate the restoration of the floors in those rooms as the group’s initial interior restoration target. Funds that are raised will be used to strip off remaining floor adhesives and to sand down the floorboards in order to prepare them to receive a historically-appropriate finish. The finishes will be provided by our project partner Sherwin Williams, who has also agreed to provide wall finishes when repairs have been completed.